Sustainable heritage tourism marketing and Canada\textquoterights Rideau Canal world heritage site

This article aims to prove that tourism does not have to be a necessary evil for preserving heritage properties or sites but can actually prove to be quite beneficial for both the future of the heritage building/property and the community. By marketing heritage tourism in a sustainable way, it can bring the right types of visitors to the area and educate the visitors on the importance of culture and heritage, while also leading to economic growth within the community. This is only successful when there is collaboration and a strong partnership among all stakeholders. The marketing strategy should bring together all of their visions and goals while putting preservation and conservation first. The article begins with a literature review on heritage tourism marketing. Donohoe looks at the various marketing approaches that have been used to market heritage sites and properties in the past and whether or not they have been successful. While some of these approaches have been effective in achieving short-term goals, it was pointed out that those approaches are not sustainable and should not be used for World Heritage Sites, which are the focus of this article. The point the author is trying to make is that traditional marketing approaches focus on the economic outcomes rather than putting preservation or conservation first, proving them to be unsuccessful for heritage sites in the long run. The second part of the article looks at a case study of the Rideau Canal World Heritage Site located near Ottawa, Ontario. Donohoe compares the marketing strategy being used there to the sustainable heritage tourism marketing model discussed in the literature review. It was concluded that while the current marketing plan has proven to be successful in bringing visitors to the area and improving stewardship of the Rideau Canal, they have a long way to go to make the plan sustainable. The mission statement, business plan, and marketing plan all fail to mention the importance of preservation and sustainability. Overall, the Rideau Canal World Heritage Site has done an excellent job of using marketing as an opportunity to benefit from its World Heritage Site status. Partnership development among stakeholders as well as community involvement have contributed to the marketing success of the Rideau Canal World Heritage Site.